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The professional-standard facility at Channing School is equipped with rigging and lighting that can be operated by children

The 790m² flexible auditorium designed by BuckleyGrayYeoman will be used for both rehearsal and performance, and can be configured as either a 250-seat theatre or a 90m² performance space overlooked by two tiers of gallery seating. Additionally, the space can be operated as a ‘black box’ environment or can be naturally lit by three-storey windows.

The theatre has been fitted with equipment and rigging which can be operated by students, introducing the technical aspects of theatre production to their education programme. A cable grid suspended above the three-storey auditorium space allows small groups of students to access and organise lighting configurations.

The completion of the performing arts centre marks the final phase of BuckleyGrayYeoman’s six-year spatial masterplan for the independent girl’s school in Highgate, which has also created a new sports facility and sixth-form accommodation on a constrained site in the Highgate Conservation Area.

Architect’s view

The completion of the Performing Arts Centre also marks the completion of a six-year masterplanning project that has achieved a minor revolution on Channing’s Highgate campus. Working within the constraints of a densely used site within a conservation area, we’ve been able to create more than 2,300m² of high-quality specialised facilities that enable Channing to provide unique education experiences to enhance the core curriculum. They will encourage the practical and collaborative learning experiences that build life skills to complement the school’s high academic standards.

Readers' comments (2)

Talk of the site being within a conservation area suggests that a site / location plan - and maybe some more images of the wider context - would have been useful.
In the AJ in recent years there seems to have been some evidence that some architects and planning authorities (in the London area, anyway) are showing scant regard to what makes a conservation area.

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